Red and Silver : Chronicles of the Rocket Conquest
by Aweshumnesh
Summary: Team Rocket has taken and now a bloody war breaks out for the liberation of Kanto . Ash vows to avenge the lives of those he loves and he is joined by Silver, a man who has dedicated his life to killing Giovanni. Many lives lead to the same road.


**A/N : There is always talk of what it would be like if Pokemon was set in a more mature world. This is my idea of what that world would be like.**

**The introductory chapter is going to be fairly short. Bear with me.**

Chapter 1: Strongholds

In the shadow of the small alleyway, a young man patiently waited for the assigned time to arrive. His raven black hair was unkempt and his clothes were designed for camouflage. Like any curfew night, most of the street lights had gone out shortly after sunset and all the citizens were firmly indoors. The streets were lined with guards and their Pokemon, ferocious looking things that seemed to have had all the joy and compassion sucked out of them. The young man carefully thought through the whole plan. He was nervous and scared like he was before any mission but he knew better than anyone that he didn't have a choice. It was his fight, it had to be fought and he had to be the one to fight it. There was no other way.

In exactly twenty minutes, his friend would show up. At least, he was supposed to show up. Nothing was for sure anymore. It was sort of a survival game. However, unlike those on TV, it was being played with real life and real dangers. His friend was an important ally. A spy within enemy ranks. The young man thought of the heights his friend went to to safeguard his identity while leaking information. James' job was job a dangerous one and one could be forgiven for not wanting to be in his boots.

Suddenly, an explosion rang the young man out of his reverie. The smell of smoke filled his nostrils and it took everything he had to keep himself from coughing and giving himself away. As the smoke cleared, he saw a Team Rocket member in front of him, accompanied by a Tyranitar that probably caused the explosion.

"The jig is up, Ash", the Rocket grunt's high pitched voice sent chills down his spine. He knew this voice. He had come across it many times before. But those were simpler days and back then she was a much lesser foe. She and her partner, James , had tried time and time again to capture Pikachu. But all those attempts were hardly effective and their team could be called a joke at best.

But then things changed. In a matter of years, Jessie and James went their separate ways. As Team Rocket's offensive on Kanto intensified, Jessie joined the main battalion and rose through the ranks. On the other hand, James saw the light and became a spy. Once Team Rocket had completed their take over, a strong rebel force sprang up under the leadership of Lance. James did his best to work as a double agent, leaking valuable information to the rebels. All this while his onetime team mate slowly established herself as one of Team Rocket's most lethal officers.

Ash had gotten into close calls many times before. He refused to fight alongside the other rebels. They hadn't lost nearly as enough as him. They wouldn't understand. He would usurp Team Rocket and he would do it alone. The only person he accepted help from was James and that too cause otherwise it was virtually impossible to find openings in Team Rocket's defenses. As she stood there before him, with Tyranitar ready to strike, he thought back to why he had sworn himself to this fight.

_3 Years Earlier_

_We interrupt the broadcast of the match to bring you a special news bulletin. The Cerulean City Gym was attacked earlier today by a group that identified themselves as Team Rocket. They assaulted the gym with powerful Pokemon, using a group of Tyranitar and Nidoking to demolish the building. Gym Leader Misty Waterflower was among the casualties. Team Rocket left a note that stated that Waterflower's association with the famous trainer Ash Ketchum , who is known for stopping Team Rocket's previous attempts to overtake Saffron City, was the main reason for her death. It seems that they want to send a statement to Mr. Ketchum and all those who seek to be like him._

_This follows a string of attacks that have left other friends and close associates of Mr. Ketchum dead in the past few weeks. A few weeks ago, Pewter City gym leader Brock Slate met a similar fate as did the person who gave his first Pokemon, Professor Samuel Oak. This newfound ruthlessness in Team Rocket's actions are truly something to take notice of. How is feeling ?_

How was he feeling? What a funny question. He felt like the most despicable human being alive. He felt like his insides had been churned out and set alight on a barbecue. He felt like a thousand Hitmonlee had kicked him in the gut. But above all, he felt determined. The call had been made and the course of action had been dictated by fate itself.

It was that determination that had brought him to this alleyway, standing in front of death yet again. But death wouldn't get him so easily. Because overlooking everything he did, was a silent vigilant. Sensing the danger, Mewtwo knew it had to intervene. In seconds, Ash and Mewtwo were far away.

xx

News of Ash's newest antics reached the de-facto headquarters of the Rebel forces. They had suffered a string of defeats in recent months and had been pushed into the deepest trenches of their hideout in the Seafoam Islands. Living there was hard and everyday was a battle against the treacherous climate. But it was their only option. Articuno had extended its hands of co-operation and acted as a barrier. Inside, the leaders of the Rebel movement slowly watched their morale wither away. They had trained to be Pokemon trainers and fine Pokemon trainers they had made, but leading a war was too much for most of them. Still they stuck at it because they knew they had to. There was nowhere they could go.

Lance had grown accustomed to Ash's efforts. They were stupid, barely thoughtout and surely to get him killed one day or the other. Lance wasn't aware of who or what Ash had befriended along the way. He just hoped the boy survived. He had tried on several occasions to get Ash to join up with the rebels. But the boy chose to do things his own way. He had wanted Ash to be his deputy but in his absence, the other Pallet Town trainer, Gary filled in on that position.

Lance knew this division was in itself a victory for Team Rocket. Ash and Lance together would have been a force to be reckoned with. Alone, Ash was just a stupid kid driven madly by emotion, someone who was surely going to jump towards his end someday. He just hoped somehow the boy would come to his senses. Who knew what would happen.

Outside, the snowstorm gained intensity. It was going to be a long night. Lance tried hard to concentrate but a nagging headache stopped him from being able to focus on anything. It had been 3 years since Team Rocket had completed their conquest of Kanto. It was an exceptionally orchestrated plan , enhanced by the aid of a number of Gym Leaders who joined their cause. One after one, all the cities of Kanto fell to Team Rocket in a matter of weeks. Almost any trainer that tried to put up a resistance either died or got himself locked up and his Pokemon confiscated. Trainers like Lance were faced with a moral dilemma. They could either flee to Johto or stay back and fight. For anyone with Pokemon, slipping through the borders to Johto would be fairly easy. And in the first few days, Rocket hadn't set up the border guards. They could then fly off to Hoenn or Kalos or where ever their hearts wished to go. But of course they couldn't. They had to fight even if they risked losing their lives.

Lance's position as the strongest trainer in Kanto had been jeopardized after two famous defeats to both Gary and then Ash in quick succession. In a matter of days, Gary had replaced him as Champion only to by replaced by Ash. What all this meant was that in the pantheon of Kanto's Trainers, Lance stood in the third position, behind the two boys from Pallet. Yet he knew that in the face of crisis, his role would be the one of leadership. He was, after all, older and more experienced. He did his best to gather as many likeminded individuals as possible. He had expected all the Gym Leaders to join his cause yet surprisingly Sabrina and had other plans. They had gone over to the other side. In fact, they had gone over a long time ago, only keeping their identities as Rocket Agents hidden to make for a lethal surprise attack on their respective cities.

In the end, Lance only had a handful of allies with him when he formed the Kanto Rebel Forces. They were a band of freedom fighters, looking for some way to break the Rocket Stronghold over Kanto. They were vastly outnumbered and they only thing they had going for them was their collective skill when it came to Pokemon battling. But Rocket had that base covered too. It seemed like they used some sort of mechanically enhanced Pokemon to battle, ones that were stronger than those used by Lance and the others. Of course, the grunts were still ineffective Trainers so that offered a weak spot. But that wasn't enough of an advantage on its own and the Rebels suffered numerous defeats.

People like Agatha and Lorelei had spent much of their lives in the pursuit of becoming better trainers and they did a very good job in that regard. It was what they had dedicated their lives to, after all. The skills they acquired to fulfill their dreams were commendable but none of those skills held much weight in a war. A war was different from everyday battles. Even the fiercest of Pokemon League matches did not put any lives on the line and did not gamble with peoples' futures. The intelligent thing to do would be to run away. Even if they couldn't take on Rocket forces in any of the cities, breaking through a hole in the border wouldn't not be beyond them. They could make it, may be. If they could make it to Johto, they were free. They could rebuild their lives and, above all, be alive.

Lance knew well enough that the morale of his forces had hit a record low. They hadn't had any considerable successes in all the time they had been in operation and the best they had ever managed were a few small operations in more remote areas like Pallet Town or in the Sevii Islands. Even then, they had _his_ help on both those missions and Lance knew well enough that if they were ever going to stand a chance against Team Rocket, they would need Ash. But Ash had more or less severed ties with the rebels.

_Nearly 2 Years earlier _

_Ash frantically paced to up and down the corridor, sweating profusely. He had his hands in pockets and seemed to be muttering under his breath. He and Lance were in the top most floor of the Abandoned Mansion on Cinnabar Island. Team Rocket hadn't arrived on the island yet, which remained the last independent city in all of Kanto._

_Lance lay on his back on the carpet, exhausted from the morning's mission. He had tried to drive Rocket away from Pallet Town again. It was a recurring mission, since Pallet Town was isolated from the other cities, liberating it would give the Rebels some breathing space on the mainland. Most of these attacks were Ash's idea, since Lance would rather prefer stealth than just a head on attack. Fighting under Ash's planning had backfired every time so far and it was clear that the only thing they had brought them back in one piece each time was pure dumb luck._

"_We have to strike the Powerplant! That will really put them on the backfoot!", Ash suddenly shouted out._

"_Calm down, Ash. We can't even breach their defenses in Pallet. How can we even hope to get anywhere near Cerulean without being spotted?", Lance was almost surprised at how immature Ash was being._

"_Stealth! We can't move in numbers. Numbers draw attention. I'll go alone, then Gary or you will follow me a bit later. Only two of us"_

"_Just two of us against an entire army?", Lance answered angrily. This kid is crazy. He's going to get everyone killed !_

"_What other way is there?"_

"_We'll have to think it through. We can't just jump onto these things anymore. And honestly, you're ability to plan missions has lost credibility after these fiascos"_

"_Well fine then, guess I'll have to act alone from now on!"_

"_Alone? Are you crazy? Ash, I know you've beaten me but as an adult I can't just let you run off to face an entire army alone!"_

"_Oh Shut up, don't tell me what I have to do."_

"_Ash, as the leader of The Rebel forces, this is in an order. I forbid you from attacking on your own"_

"_Like a give a damn to your orders. You won't understand. None of you understand. All of you are here to play hero! Well you can keep playing your stupid games and act like you're getting something done. I'll do this my own way!"_

"_You're going to get yourself killed!"_

"_That would be better than sitting around on my ass all day"_

"_None of us are just sitting around"  
_

"_Yeah and all the good that's doing"_

_Within minutes, Ash had packed up a few belongings and left the island. A few hours later, Ash's Pidgeot arrived with a little note attached._

"_Look after my mom"_

XX

Perceiving a fully fledged war as a personal quest for vengeance was a dangerous thing to do. Yet the decision wasn't a conscious one, it was a stage that had been prepared for him. Ash didn't hesitate for a minute, he grabbed onto the challenge with utmost determination. But he soon found out it would be much easier said than done. He knew facing them alone was nearly impossible but he had nothing to do. He knew the Rebel forces were good but they were a bit too methodical. They kept waiting for an opening and he knew better than anyone that Team Rocket had prepared very, very well and there would never be an opening. They had to go in and force it open even if they lost their lives in the process.

Once again, he had come close to being killed. It was a relief that he had Mewtwo with him, someone that could teleport him out of tight situations. Having Mewtwo around considerably reduced the chances of fatal failure on missions even though even the legendary sometime had trouble fighting off of some of Rocket's strange Pokemon.

Sitting there mending his wounds, it suddenly struck him. It was the perfect chance to attack the Powerplant again. The past attacks had been futile but now with Mewtwo on his side, there was sure to be a much higher chance of success. He was sure of it. He could almost feel it.

"Up for another mission tonight?" Ash asked the psychic type, almost bouncing with excitement.

"Very well", the legendary replied through telepathy.

XX

The farthest Mewtwo's teleportation could take Ash was to the western boundaries of Cerulean City, given Mewtwo had never been to the actual Powerplant before. Even then, it was outside the reach of the Rocket troops patrolling Cerulean City, so Ash could was safe to make his way to the Powerplant.

Normally, one would use the ferry to move across the river to get there, but that route was heavily guarded for obvious reasons. During both of his past attempts, Ash had made the careless mistake of diving into the water. What he hadn't expected were diving units stationed in the water. With the lesson of those attempts in mind, Ash scaled the mountain rage to west of the plant.

Jumping onto the roof from an adjacent boulder, Ash quickly scanned the area. It was unlikely that there would be Rockets on the roof. No matter how resilient the rebels were, going around the mountains was too much for even Dragon Master Lance. Ash jumped to the side of the building, landing on the fire escape. A number of windows were open, making for an easy entry. "You've let your guard down, Team Rocket", Ash said to himself as he made his way into the dark room.

After turning on his flash light, Ash saw the room was nothing more than a store room. Shelves were lined with boxes and files. Nothing much going on there. He peeked into the hallway to find the lights off yet again. While that did seem fishy, Ash brushed it off as mere carelessness on Team Rocket's part. Anticipating attacks wasn't easy given how rarely the rebels ever conducted missions so they could be forgiven for thinking that there wouldn't be any fresh assaults on the powerplant.

Going down the hall, Ash noticed a group of Rocket grunts in the distance. Ash immediately slid into the shadows, thankful that he had seen them before they had seen him. He was no stealth specialist but he knew how to use the darkness to his advantage. The war had toughened his body up immensely and Ash managed to crawl, duck and occasionally summersault his way to the basement, taking advantage of the relative darkness.

The main generator was actually a series of generators linked up to each other. Ash realized it was show time and quickly pulled out two pokeballs. He didn't have the technical know how to damage the generators silently, so he would have to apply force. That was bound to get attention but it was the only way to go. Ash took a deep breath, before releasing Lucario and Infernape from their Pokeballs.

As soon as the first attacks hit the generators, the explosions rang alarms across the whole plant. Rocket grunts raced to the basement, releasing Pokemon left, right and centre. Ash's Charizard and Mewtwo guarded the entrance and immediately locked into combat with the approaching Rocket forces.

The grunts only had Ratticate and Arbok and theoretically none of those should have stood a chance against the likes of Charizard and Mewtwo. But these were not ordinary Pokemon. Their eyes were blood red and it looked like they didn't know when to quit. Looking around, Ash saw that the generators had been sufficiently damaged. But turning your back to the enemy was a stupid thing to do and Ash turned back to see a beam an Arbok jumping at him with nothing but bloodlust in his eyes.

He suddenly felt himself pushed to the ground as a man with red hair moved him out of the way of the Arbok. A large water Pokemon now stood before them and it wrestled the Arbok to the ground.

"Fergaligatr!", the man who had just rescued Ash shouted. "Hydro Cannon!"

Feraligatr breathed in for a moment before launching a massive torrent of water at the incoming Rocket forces. The water crashed into them, knocking them back several feet. Ash was still confused but had the presence of mind to command Mewtwo to teleport them out of the place.

Within seconds, Ash returned to his hideout on the outskirts of Faraway Island.

"You idiot! What were you thinking ?", the man with red hair demanded. Ash hadn't noticed that theyman had been clutching onto his clothes at the time and had been teleported along with him.

"You're a Rocket!", Ash exclaimed, noticing the man's uniform. On closer inspection, he looked more of a boy than he did a man but his voice was quite manly.

"Well if you haven't noticed, I just saved your live and blew my cover in the process!"

"W-Who are you?"

"My name is Silver", the red haired boy replied. "And I was trying to work undercover before your stupid plan ruined it for me"

"Hey I didn't ask for you to save me!", Ash replied angrily. He was thankful that he had saved him but his attitude was annoying.

"Anyone who attempts to harm Team Rocket is an ally and I cannot let an ally die. Since it can't be helped, Hello Champion. My name is Silver and I live to see Giovanni die"

While Ash would have phrased it differently and while his hatred towards Team Rocket was more collective than just aimed at one person, he could see that this Silver guy and him had things in common. Perhaps they could get along.

"Well then, Silver. Welcome to my hideout. This is Faraway Island".


End file.
